Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable display device, including a foldable display device in which a part of the display area is folded such that a drive circuit, including pads and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) area on which the drive circuit is mounted, are disposed at the bottom of a back surface of the display device. As a result, the display device is capable of not only realizing a bezelless panel, but also using a side surface of the folded display device as a side display.
Discussion of the Related Art
Image display devices, which render a variety of information on a screen, are core technologies of the information communication age, and are being developed t thin, light, portable, and capable of high performance. As a result, an organic light emitting display device or the like, which displays an image based on the amount of light emitted from an organic light emitting layer, is of increasing importance as a flat display device capable of eliminating drawbacks of a cathode ray tube (CRT), for example, by reducing the weight and volume of a display device.
In an exemplary embodiment, such an organic light emitting display device includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, to display an image. Each pixel includes a light emitting element and a pixel driving circuit, including a plurality of transistors, to drive the light emitting element in an independent manner.
In another exemplary embodiment, an organic light emitting display device uses self-luminous organic light emitting elements and, as such, no separate light source is needed. Thus, such a display device may be an ultra-thin display device. Active research into a foldable display having an in-cell touch structure while using organic light emitting elements is being conducted. In such an in-cell touch structure, a touch electrode array is included in each light emitting cell.
Such a foldable display does not, generally, use a cover window because the display panel thereof is foldable. For this reason, a cover film made of a film-formable material is applied to the foldable display. Such a cover film is made of a soft material, and thus, may exhibit inferior durability compared to a cover glass. For this reason, when touch electrodes and a drive circuit to drive light emitting cells are disposed at a front surface of the foldable display, there may be a problem in that the drive circuit is easily damaged by external impact.